phelps

Italy's chances in Show Jumping have gone down dramatically in the last few hours... Alberto Zorzi, in fact, was forced to withdraw from the world competitions because of an injury to his horse Fair Light Van t Heike... as a consequence, this is the Italian squad for Tryon: Lorenzo De Luca (right now he still has 3 horses available: Ensor de Litrange, Ironice Horta & Halifax vh Kluizebos) Luca Marziani (Tokyo du Soleil) Emanuele Gaudiano (Chalou) Piergiorgio Bucci ( Diesel GP du Bois Madame) 5th man: Bruno Chimirri (Tower Mouche) reserve at home until the entries are stopped: Giulia Martinengo-Marquet (Verdine Sz)

2018 Individual European Championships Men's Semifinals (later Today @ 6 & 7 p.m. CET) Raphael Kandra vs George Parker Borja Golàn vs Lucas Serme Women's Semifinals (later Today @ 4 & 5 p.m. CET) Millie Tomlinson vs Tinne Gilis Coline Aumard vs Nele Gilis

well, those 2 destinations at least would be a lot more logical than Dubai...

but if they already play in the desert lands of China (they don't even release the official audience of those games, since they would get ashamed by that), nothing's gonna surprise me anymore by them...

Noah Hanifin signs 6-year deal (29.7 million US $) with Calgary... https://www.nhl.com/news/noah-hanifin-signs-contract-extension-with-calgary-flames/c-299304542?tid=281072352 Gary Bettman to be inducted (also) in the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame... https://www.nhl.com/news/gary-bettman-to-be-inducted-into-sports-broadcasting-hall-of-fame/c-299900142 2019 Winter Classic tickets on sale to public... https://www.nhl.com/news/2019-winter-classic-tickets-on-sale-to-public/c-299875754?tid=283985238

only if we talk of Women's Baseball... they already have a couple of Silver medals (and quite a few Bronze medals) in their bag in the men's game (actually, it's 1 silver in the old world cup in 1984 and 1 at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, always losing to Cuba in the decisive match)...

yes, she's Daniel's younger sister

First Ten Youth World champions crowned after an exciting first day of finals in Budapest Men’s Light Fly (49kg) The first final of the day saw Thailand’s Thitisan Panmod taking on Puerto Rico’s 17-year-old Jan Paul Rivera with the Light Fly gold medal at stake. Panmod, who joined the National Team in 2014, took the control of the distance from the first ring of the bell delivering a performance to remember getting an unanimous victory to be crowned as AIBA Youth World Champion. Thitisan PANMOD b. Jan Paul RIVERA PIZARRO by PTS (5-0) Men’s Bantam (56kg) Uzbekistan’s boxing powerhouse walked out of the last edition of the Youth World Championships without any gold medal, but this trend was broken today by Abdumalik Khalokov. The Uzbek met with Russia’s Vsevolod Shumkov and used his tricky style and world class footwork to defeat his opponent and clinch the gold at the Duna Arena. Abdumalik KHALOKOV b. Vsevolod SHUMKOV by PTS (5-0) Men’s Light Welter (64kg) Russia’s EUBC European Youth Champion Ilia Popov had put together an excellent run to reach the Light Welterweight final in Budapest, but Cuba’s Idalberto Umara proved to be a tricky target as his footwork repeatedly got him out of trouble. As Popov committed more energy to his attacks, Umara was able to counter effectively, and at the end of the three rounds, it was Cuba who was able to celebrate their first gold in Budapest. Idalberto UMARA IRIBAR b. Ilia POPOV by PTS (3-2) Men’s Middle (75kg) Kazakh Nurbek Oralbay went into the Middleweight final against Russia’s Daniil Teterev and exuded confidence against the tough and talented Russian boxer. After a slow start for the Kazakh that saw Teterev taking early advantage, Oralbay increased the rhythm of the action in the second round and turned back the Final to conquer his first Youth World Championships gold medal. Nurbek ORALBAY b. Daniil TETEREV by PTS (4-1) Men’s Heavy (91kg) After three negative results on the Finals Day 1, the Russian team was able to turn the tide at Heavyweight, with Igor Fedorov over-powering Kazakhstan’s Aibek Oralbay to record a stylish victory. Fedorov delivered an inspired first three-minute period to take the contest away from his opponent and had enough left in the tank to keep the Kazakh at bay as the bout drew to a close and earn the Russians their first gold in Budapest. Igor FEDOROV b. Aibek ORALBAY by PTS (3-2) Women’s Light Fly Defending Women’s Youth World Champion Nitu Ghanghas met Thailand’s Nillada Meekoon in the women’s light flyweight category for a re-match of the ASBC Women’s Youth Championships. The talented Thai boxer surprised India’s Nitu on the first round, but the Indian star improved her performance to take over the bout and become two-times AIBA Youth World Champion. NITU b. Nillada MEEKOON by PTS (4-1) Women’s Bantam (54kg) Iyana Verduzco proved to be one of the outstanding performers in Budapest despite being the youngest member of the USA team. The USA boxer added the Bantamweight Youth title to her CV in impressive fashion with a victory over Kazakhstan’s Aizada Yeslyamgali. The two boxers spent much of the first-round probing for weaknesses in the other’s defences, Yeslyamgali looking well organised and efficient with her jabs, but it was Verduzco who raised the tempo most effectively as the bout wore on, crowning an excellent tournament with a hard-earned gold medal. Iyana VERDUZCO b. Aizada YESLYAMGALI by PTS (4-1) Women’s Light (60kg) If there is an English women boxer with potential to emulate the impressive record of Nicola Adams, this boxer is Caroline Dubois. The 17-year-old English boxer met with Russia’s Nune Asatrian and dominated the first two rounds of the Final by using her fantastic footwork. Dubois’ accurate counter-punches during the third round made her improve the distance with her opponent to earn a well-deserved gold medal. Dubois will now add a Youth World title to the 3 European gold medals to complete her impressive record. Caroline Sara DUBOIS b. Nune ASATRIAN by PTS (5-0) Women’s Welter (69kg) Charlie Cavanagh wrote a new page on Canada’s boxing story by becoming the first Youth Women World Champion from her country. The 18-year-old New Brunswick-based boxer stepped on the ring after completing an impressive road to the Finals, and Cavanagh didn’t disappoint delivering a well-rounded performance to defeat Russia’s Angelina Kabakova at the Duna Arena. Charlie CAVANAGH b. Angelina KABAKOVA by PTS (5-0) Women’s Light Heavy (81kg) Russia’s Anastasiia Rybak avenged her defeat at the 2017 Youth World Championships in Guwahati after defeating the ASBC Asian Women’s Youth Champion Guzal Sadykova from Kazakhstan. In one the closest bouts of the day, the Russian boxer was able to overcome Sadykova’s impressive start to clinch the last gold medal at stake today at Budapest’s Duna Arena. Anastasiia RYBAK b. Guzal SADYKOVA by PTS (3-2)

unfortunately (or fortunately?) they've become very strict about those waste of time in the final seconds of a bout... to be honest, earlier today I'd have given the 3rd shido to Mollaei with still 14 secs to go, when he clearly threw a fake attack on his back...technically, it would have been even more justified than the last second shido, which is within the new interpretation of the rules, but at the same time it's also very harsh to him and tough to be accepted (also by the neutral fans)... but nowadays with 2 shido you must pay a lot of attention...it's a lot easier than in the past to get DSQ because of stupid and meaningless mistakes (at last year's world champs, Fabio Basile was DSQ in the extra time in his re-match of the Olympic final against An-Baul for a lot less than what Mollaei did today)... however, he's in good company...I remember I saw a semifinal bout in a grand prix tournament last year (or was it just before Rio 2016? I'm sure of the episode, but I might be wrong on the date in which it happened), when it was the Brazilian Olympic medallist Erika Miranda to be penalized after the end of the match against an Italian girl (I think she was Giuffrida, our Rio silver medallist in the women's -52kg class)... and I'm pretty sure it happened quite a few times in the last couple of years...

and once again Italy, after having great results in the team events, totally failed in the individual competitions (I only care about recurve bow)... I'm really tired of those "young and promising talents" (definitely not my definition) that never perform individually when it really matters... not to mention the boiled good old 2004 Olympic Champion Galiazzo, who shouldn't even be part of the team anymore, but I don't know why? he's always there at the global champs...

2018 Individual European Championships started yesterday in Graz (AUT)... all infos, schedules, results (and link to youtube live broadcast) here: https://www.europeansquash.com/sport/tournament.aspx?id=8017FB04-0282-4A97-BCBC-C8CA95EF0E2B unfortunately, some of the best European players like Gregory Gaultier, James Willstrop among the men and Camille Serme among the women are not at the start of this event...

finally, some real stuff... I couldn't resist anymore just with friendlies and "classic" games from the past... I do really need some new, fresh action...

It's finally here! The 2018/19 Champions Hockey League season has arrived! 12 teams take to the ice tonight in six matches across Europe. Watch live Check here for details of live TV broadcasts: https://www.championshockeyleague.com/en/fans/chl-games-on-tv All games are also live on our website for free, subject to geo-blocking restrictions in certain countries due to TV rights. Make your predictions Take part in the CHL Fan Challenge and predict who'll win each of today's games. https://www.chl-fan-challenge.com/ Do it before 12:00 CET to be counted!

I knew I was going to hurt some "sensitive souls"... just joking...

out all those "artistic" activities like Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Artistic Swimming, Surfing, Freestyle BMX and Skateboarding (this one in particular, since the IOC cheated big time with world skate, giving them illusion of putting Inline Speedskating at the Summer Games meanwhile when it came down to the final vote, Skateboarding suddenly became an Olympic discipline...and no, Leticia Buffoni herself is not enough to justify that sh*t )... and you get enough quota for inline speedskating (which of course need some renovation and standardization in its program of races and in its "theatre", which I'd suggest it should be the same venues of the Ice Speedskating...a 400m flat -no matter if indoor or outdoor- track without the ice surface, of course)... p.s. and of course you could also kick out Boxing and Weightlifting (if you need 2 full sports and not only parts of them)...

actually, there's only 1 definition of the word "sport" in any vocabulary (encyclopedia)... and it's the one I posted earlier (even if I also wrote that I don't care too much of definitions...and not only in this specific case)... by the way, to answer your question: no, I don't mind eSports at all (as I don't mind Italy being a powerhouse -or close to that- in sports I don't follow at all, like artistic swimming and/or rhythmic gymnastics)...I'm just not interested in such activity...

it wasn't posted yet when I started to answer... in any case, in motorsports it's the mechanical package that makes the difference...the drivers' skills come out only if and when you have standard equipment for every competitor... and that's why I can accept as a "grey zone" the definition of sport applied to motorsports...

no way...you can be Hamilton or Vettel, but with something like the current Williams you end up dead last every time you finish a race (and more often than not you don't even finish a race)...

it's not a question of "top level" or amateur stuff...the definition is only about what's "sport" and what's not... in cycling the main part of the job is done by the man/woman's legs... for what concerns the animals, I think they should be compared to motorsports...and not to be considered real "sports", but this part is always contested by many people who still consider this kind of activity a sport (because of the competitive nature of the races)...it's definitely a grey zone in this particular question... in any case, as I wrote before, I don't care too much about definitions...

no one of those activities (e-sports, mind games nor motorized vehicle competitions) should be named "sports"... by definition, sport is a combination of mental and physycal skills (e-sports and mind games do NOT have the physycal part of the game, despite some people might start saying the opposite), the outcome of which must be mainly determined by human ability (and this takes also the "motorsports" away, since you can be the best driver in the world, but still you're going to end up dead last if you vehicle is not performing at least very close to those of your opponents)... however, I don't care too much about those definitions taken from vocabolaies and encyclopedia...people can think and say what they want, but if the IOC adds to the Olympic Games schedule anything related to mind games, e-sports and motorsports I'm done with the Olympic Ideal and the Olympic Games once and forever. point.

fun facts... in the men's division, the 5 heaviest classes have the same kind of final bout: RUS vs KAZ... is that a coincidence? OK, if you're convinced of that... p.s. and RUS also have 2 more finalists, for a total of 7 men out of 12 reaching the final act... do you still think of a coincidence? OK...I really appreciate your optimism (and your naive mood)... at least, among the girls there's a bit more balance... IND and the usual RUS have both 4 finalists, meanwhile KAZ have 3 and the very rich Western Countries of GBR and USA have 2...

fighters making the Gold Medal bout... Men's -49kg: Jan Paul RIVERA PIZARRO, Thitisan PANMOD Men's -52kg: Ivan PRICE, Asa STEVENS Men's -56kg: Abdumalik KHALOKOV, Vsevolod SHUMKOV Men's -60kg: Atichai PHOEMSAP, Adriàn Krisztofer ORBÁN Men's -64kg: Idalberto UMARA IRIBAR, Ilia POPOV Men's -69kg: Yermakhan ZHAKPEKOV, Dzhambulat BIZHAMOV Men's -75kg: Daniil TETEREV, Nurbek ORALBAY Men's -81kg: Ruslan KOLESNIKOV, Sagyndyk TOGAMBAY Men's -91kg: Igor FEDOROV, Aibek ORALBAY Men's +91kg: Aleksei DRONOV, Damir TOIBAY

fighters making the Gold Medal bout... Women's -48kg: Nillada MEEKOON, NITU Women's -51kg: Heaven Destiny GARCIA, ANAMIKA Women's -54kg: Iyana VERDUZCO, Aizada YESLYAMGALI Women's -57kg: SAKSHI, Nikolina CACIC Women's -60kg: Caroline Sara DUBOIS, Nune ASATRIAN Women's -64kg: MANISHA, Gemma Paige RICHARDSON Women's -69kg: Angelina KABAKOVA, Charlie CAVANAGH Women's -75kg: Anastasiia SHAMONOVA, Tallya BRILLAUX Women's -81kg: Anastasiia RYBAK, Guzal SADYKOVA Women's +81kg: Mariia LOVCHYNSKA, Dina ISLAMBEKOVA

and I think it's not even the 1st stint as Pakistan NT coach for the Dutch Oltmans... I could be wrong, but if I remember well, he was already in charge there a few years ago, before their autarkic period in the last 5/10 years...

infact I named them "the Olympic Games of the non-Olympic Sports"... however, we can also forget about the World Games...that's not a problem for me...